Press Release: State to provide $100 million in loans to boost small businesses

Gov. Mark Dayton pledges $100 million in new direct lending money to job creators. He makes the announcement after Tuesday's Jobs Summit in St. Paul. The added funds will go to qualifying Minnesota banks to distribute as business loans. Dayton says the move will double the state's investment in Minnesota small businesses.

Gov. Mark Dayton pledges $100 million in new direct lending money to job creators. He makes the announcement after Tuesday's Jobs Summit in St. Paul. The added funds will go to qualifying Minnesota banks to distribute as business loans. Dayton says the move will double the state's investment in Minnesota small businesses.

Minnesota has been awarded $15.5 million in federal funding to offer small businesses loans in hopes of boosting the local economy. The money is part of President Obama's Small Business Jobs Act, which was signed into law last year.

College students looking for private loans have fewer options. Minnesota Daily reports after nearly 40 years in the student-loan business, Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp is going to pull out of the student loan market. A company spokesperson said U.S. Bank was a "very small player" with less than 1.5 percent of the student-lending market share. JPMorgan Chase has also decided to only lend student loans to existing customers.

When Minnesota entrepreneurs are in need of cash, many of them end up in the offices of local non-profits. Some of state's most generous non-profits when it comes to business lending are getting $4.5 million from the federal government to help out Minnesota businesses.

Republican leaders say the change would save Minnesota businesses $50 million the first year. That amount may well be added to the state budget deficit. The Senate GOP says the job creation would be worth it. DFL critics say there's no assurance that companies would used the money they save to create jobs.

An October 15th deadline looms for people who suffered property damage in June's floods to apply to the Small Business Administration for help. So far fewer than 300 people have applied. Even a rejected application is important: getting turned down by the federal agency is a step toward qualifying for state aid.